Hotel Classic Inn

The hotel is less than a five-minute walk from the main train station, and there’s a large supermarket just a block away. I booked at the last minute because hotels in Heidelberg were full, so I wasn’t expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms are clean and well maintained. If you arrive outside regular hours, remote key delivery is available, and there’s an out-of-hours number to call. The hotel also works well with the famous booking site. There’s no AC or fridge in the rooms, which could be a problem when it’s 35 outside. Some suspicious characters hang around the nearby park, so maybe don’t walk there at 3 am. All in all, a good experience.

The price felt much too high for what we got. The room was dusty, especially the carpet, and the bed was too soft and uncomfortable. It seemed to have a rough mattress cover instead of the proper second bottom sheet. The curtains were so thin they were useless, and there was no kettle or air conditioning. There was nobody at reception in the afternoon, so I couldn't raise a problem. The area is handy for the station but ugly and felt unsafe, and it's quite a way from the center and tourist spots. I felt deceived.

The late check-in was a bit nerve-racking. I’d booked through Expedia and arrived after the lobby had closed at noon. There was a lockbox outside where I had to enter my booking number, but my Expedia itinerary number was far too long. I started typing it anyway, and halfway through the key dropped out. Huge relief! Check-in did work out in the end. I’d come in with low expectations because the price was so reasonable, but I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms are small, though quite nice, recently remodeled as far as I could tell, and very clean. Someone had even neatly cable-tied the TV and phone wires. There are handy ledges for toiletries in the bathroom and shower, and the bed is very soft. I’m not keen on down pillows, though they have those if you like them. The location is great too.

I came to Heidelberg for a conference at EMBL, and my institute booked me into this hotel. I regret having to stay there. The first night, I arrived after reception had closed and got my key easily from the keybox. But my room had no electricity, no lights and nowhere to charge my phone. The emergency number went unanswered, and my phone was down to 10% battery, so I couldn’t use its light or call again later. I had to search the corridor myself, where I luckily found the electricity box and restored power to my room. A very strange start. With the lights on, I saw insects on the bed. They didn’t look like bedbugs, so I wasn’t too alarmed and told the manager the next morning. They changed the bedding for the following night, which seemed like the normal response. Then I saw more insects on the bed the next night, and these looked like bedbugs. I have pictures. When I reported it at reception, the manager, a tall, thin man with glasses and gray hair, first denied they were insects. He said he couldn’t stop flies getting into the room. I’m a geneticist who studies flies, and these were NOT flies. When I told him that, he got angry, shouted that his hotel had no bugs and suggested I might have brought them in myself. He went on to say bedbugs are normal, they’re everywhere, and I can’t live in a bubble, then left me alone in the lobby. I’m a geneticist and insects don’t scare me, but bedbugs spread very rapidly and need to be taken seriously. They can happen anywhere, but denying they’re there and refusing to accommodate a guest by moving them to another room is scandalous for a hotel. The manager was no help when I had a problem. Run away!